The Book of Life is an animated film that tells a story of love, friendship, family and culture. The film is told in such a way where there is a story within a story. It starts off with a museum tour guide, Mary Beth, leading a bunch of unruly kids to the Museum of Mexican Myths and Legends. This is where they read off of the Book of Life which contains all the stories of the world. One such story is about the Mexican town of San Angel on the “Day of the Dead” festival. La Muerte, the ruler of the Land of the Remembered, gets into a wager with Xibalba, the ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, wherein whoever wins will be the ruler of the Land of the Remembered. La Muerte and Xibalba agree to the wager by betting on 2 young lads, Joaquin and Manolo, for the hand of Maria in marriage.
I love the vibrant colors of this movie and it just looks beautiful on screen. It is very much in contrast to the topic of death. Even so, in this movie, they bring color to death unlike any other. Normally, when we think of death, we simultaneously imagine BLACK, WHITE or GRAY. In this movie, however, the most colorful of colors is associated with death especially in the Land of the Remembered where everything looks so alive which is ironic since this is where the dead end up going. In the Book of Life, being dead has never looked more lively.
NinthMelody rating: 4.5/5
Ninth Melody 